Wilmington parents start baby formula search Facebook group to help families amid shortage

Wilmington moms are taking to social media to help connect each other with baby formula as the nation struggles with a shortage.

A Facebook group called “Wilmington & Surrounding Area’s Baby Formula Search” reached nearly 200 members in just six days online.

Moms from Wilmington and beyond share posts hourly of baby formula they have found in stock, leftover formula they are giving away and questions about needs they have.

"It's terrifying," said Theresa Babb, the founder of the Facebook group. "These young mothers are terrified, and you can't blame them."

This is the latest effort to combat the baby formula shortage parents are feeling on a national level as manufacturers were forced to recall their products and shut down their factories.

In February, Abbott Nutrition recalled batches of Similac, Alimentum and EleCare formulas from a plant in Sturgis, Michigan. That plant was temporarily shut down by the Food and Drug Administration after it said the plant failed to maintain sanitary conditions, exacerbating a shortage that began in November 2021.

While the FDA and Abbott Nutrition have reached an agreement to reopen the plant, as of May 8, about 43% of formula was sold out at retailers across the country, USA Today reported.

Babb founded the Facebook group after she and her daughter continued to struggle to find formula for her granddaughter. Because of nutritional restrictions, her infant granddaughter could only have certain kinds of formula, and it was quickly becoming more difficult to find starting last fall.

"It was really getting scary," Babb said.

For the parents in the Wilmington Facebook group, the search for formula has largely expanded to Amazon and other online retailers. But even those are selling out quickly, some in less than an hour.

One mom in the group said she’s having formula shipped to her from California for her children. Others said they were struggling to find formula that worked with their children’s nutritional restrictions, like hypoallergenic formula.

Through the Facebook group, parents have been able to donate formula they aren't using, sell formula they bought but no longer need, and help other parents in finding stores that have different formulas in stock. Babb said the most important part of the Facebook group is that even if someone only has one can of formula they aren't using, that could still go to someone who is out and in need. She said a little goes a long way.

"Post what you're seeing out, there post what you're finding on the web, and if you have any spare at all, post it in there because I guarantee somebody can use it," she said.

What are some safe alternatives?

Manufacturers from outside the US are shipping formula into the country in an attempt to help alleviate the shortage. But Catherine Ohmstede, physician lead for Novant Health Children’s Health Institute said experts are estimating 10 weeks before the formula is readily available again.

“There are efforts being made to increase the amount of formula available within the United States, but it really could take months,” Ohmstede said during a news conference Tuesday.

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Ohmstede said it’s safe for babies to switch between different types of formula as often as needed, and usually if a baby is resistant to a new formula it is because it has a different taste or smell.

She said it’s also safe to give babies six months or older whole milk as a temporary emergency measure if a family cannot find formula, but it should be limited to 24 ounces a day because cow milk doesn’t have the nutrients babies need, particularly iron.

Babies four to six months can also start eating solid foods and purees, and Ohmstede said she recommends families introduce that to babies around four months old amid the formula shortage.

She said parents should not water down formulas or attempt to make homemade formulas because it can cause electrolyte imbalances, nutrient deficiencies and even more severe health issues like anemia or seizures.

Ohmstede also recommended anyone who is currently breastfeeding continue to do so until the formula shortage has subsided. She said mothers who have stopped breastfeeding can sometimes start lactating again, especially if a baby is under three months.

“We do highly encourage, again, anybody who is expecting or is currently breastfeeding to meet with a lactation consultant or talk to your pediatrician if you have any supply issues or if you're not able to make enough milk for your baby, because there are things that can be done to increase your supply and that is a great way to not be affected by the formula shortage,” she said.

Where to get help

For parents who can afford it, there are regulated milk banks that provide donated breast milk to those in need.

However, Ohmstede said parents should not use “informal milk sharing” because if it’s not done through an accredited milk bank, it’s possible for the milk to be exposed to medications that aren’t healthy for the baby, stored improperly, and other issues.

Ohmstede recommended families who cannot access formula seek assistance through the Women, Infants and Children program (WIC). The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services expanded its WIC program to accommodate families who need help accessing formula and to place bulk orders with manufacturers for more formula.

For inpatients, Novant Health has been able to maintain its formula supply and it also has donor milk available for babies that are born in the hospital, in the nursery or NICU. However, the healthcare system has seen a decrease in formula delivered for outpatients and is continuing to work with families to help them get financial assistance, find resources to get milk, etc.

Ohmstede said contacting formula manufacturers directly has proven useful and looking at large retailers who might have more supply than other stores.

Parents can join the Wilmington-area formula search public Facebook group for regular updates on where local families are finding formula in stock.

Reporter Sydney Hoover can be reached at 910-343-2339 or shoover@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: How to find baby formula in the Wilmington-area amid national shortage